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Pray for Those Lost and Hug Your Kids Tight

The horrific events in Newtown last Friday are almost impossible to comprehend for they represent the most heinous act of evil ever perpetrated on innocent children.

I pray for those that lost so much to this horrific crime. My heart aches to think about your sorrow. As a father of four Texas daughters, last Friday’s events strike fear into my heart as no other act of evil can do. I will hug my daughters that much tighter when we are together for the holidays.

Nothing worries a parent more than knowing that their children are never completely safe outside of their home. Most fathers I know here in Texas take the responsibility for protecting their children very seriously and have little regard for those that would limit their ability to do that.

We understand correctly that it is NOT the responsibility of the government to protect our families from harm, it is our responsibility!

Here in Texas, many school districts have their own police force. In Fort Bend County where I’ve lived for the past twenty years, the FBISD Police are all well-trained professionals whose main (and sworn) duty is to protect our children from harm while on school grounds. These brave men and women walks the halls of our schools, assisting with security while getting to know our children and their teachers. They attend after-schools events such as band concerts, football games and other extracurricular activities all to protect our kids from harm. They wear their uniforms proudly and carry a firearm, taser, baton, hand-cuffs and a radio at all times. They live in our neighborhoods and their children sit right beside ours in class.

We’re a very diversified community here in Fort Bend County with folks settling here from all over the United States, Mexico, China, Korea, Japan, Brazil, India, Pakistan and many other countries. Native Texans are outnumbered in this county by as much as ten to one and yet, I’ve never once heard a parent complain about the FBISD Police officers that roam our schools’ hallways and grounds. No complaints about too much security and no liberal squealing about turning our schools into “armed camps”. In fact, I’ve seen nothing but respect for these men and women that we trust to guard our children.

I’m a fairly conservative person by nature but I gladly pay the higher property taxes here in Fort Bend County that go in part, to pay for the FBISD Police force. I fully support their “armed” role in patrolling our schools and protecting our children from the evil that visited Newtown last Friday. As a parent, I know that I can’t personally protect my children while I’m at work and they are at school so I’m thankful to know that the FBISD Police are on the job.

Perhaps the discussion our nation should have is not so much about “gun control” and another “assault weapons ban” but about the proper place firearms must have in a free society. The only way to stop an armed lunatic bent on death and destruction is by another armed person bent on preserving life and liberty.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” – Romans 12:21

4 thoughts on “Pray for Those Lost and Hug Your Kids Tight”

Guns beget guns, violence begets violence, guns beget violence. It must be a cultural thing, because, as a Canadian, I cannot grasp any meaningful understanding of your point of view. Your quotation (Romans 12:21) seems to contradict your viewpoint. Which is it…more guns as an answer to guns in the hands of ‘armed lunatics’ or overcoming evil with good? I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. As a recently retired teacher, who had to routinely practice ‘lock-down’ procedures in my place of work, I can honestly say that turning our schools into armed fortresses is a sad commentary on where our society is at today. Perhaps my gran’daddy was right…never discuss; money, politics, religion…and obviously, guns. I’ve very much enjoyed your photography and insights on photography. Thanks for your posts.

Let me repeat what I believe to be the absolute truth. The only way to stop an armed lunatic bent on death and destruction is by another armed person bent on preserving life and liberty. I make no judgement on our “society” as a whole but I would much rather have an armed police officer protecting my children in school than to get the phone call those parents in Newtown did. One well trained police officer in that school could have made all the difference.

As for the quote from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, please read the entire book in the bible and I believe you will understand that Paul was urging the early Christians in Rome to stand up for their religious freedom and not to give in to those that wanted to silence them. Paul, as was his way, urged them to fight for what they believed in and to never cower in fear of evil. Those brave souls that lost their lives protecting the children in Newtown understood this message and they are true Christian heroes that will never be forgotten.

Thanks for reading and for your comments. We live in a beautifully complex world surrounded by both good and evil. I would never expect you to agree with my beliefs and I certainly respect yours. Stop back anytime!

Hi Jeff,
As an member of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia, and as a brother and son of a policeman, I certainly don’t disagree that law enforcement officials need to have the capacity to defend our citizen’s, but It appears (and I only have anecdotal information from various news coverage – so you can take this opinion with a grain of salt) that the USA could do more to control the access of weapons by non licensed owners.
Let me qualify that by way of example, here in my home state of the Northern Territory (which I believe is similarly legislated across Australia) we licensed shooters, must have an approved gun safe, and ammunition must be stored separately from the firearm, the safe and ammo storage will be inspected by law enforcement officers, and only after it is approved, and if you are deemed a fit and proper person (i,e; no criminal convictions, history of violence etc) will you be granted a license. You then have a legal responsibility to maintain your firearms in a safe and proper manner AT ALL TIMES.
The premis being that if only fit and proper people hold a license and are responsible for the safe guarding of said weapons then we should have minimal risk of a Port Arthur, Newtown type scenario, If however we allow weapons just laying around the home in drawers, cupboards etc then anyone can access those for whatever purpose they see fit, so to, if we allow anyone with a drivers licence to hold a firearms license I don’t believe we’re showing a proper duty of care to our fellow man.
I’m certainly not in favour of banning firearms, but I am most certainly saying that not everyone deserves the right to access firearms (convicted fellons, people convicted of aggravated assault, etc), and that it should be considered a privilege to do so, and with that a responsibility for the safe keeping of those firearms.

We have many of the same laws regarding firearms that you have in Australia and every resident must keep their firearms secured from anyone under age 18. My firearms are either on my person or locked securely in a gun safe. Here in the US, every firearm purchase requires a background check to be run through the FBI database. Convicted criminals cannot own firearms, nor can people that are mentally ill.

The point of my article was that one well trained police officer stationed in the Newtown school “could” have averted this horrific tragedy or at the very least reduced the number of casualties. As a parent I’m very thankful that our school systems understand this reality and train for active shooter situations.